The use of fiber composite components is interesting in many fields of application, above all because of the particularly high specific strength it provides. Such components are made from a laminate comprising fiber layers that are embedded in a matrix material. In order to achieve particularly high strength, the fibers of the individual fiber layers can be aligned in a load-dependent manner. After a layered composition of the fiber composite component, curing of the matrix material takes place under the influence of heat, and if applicable also pressure. The fact that any desired component shapes can be implemented by means of a fiber composite material is particularly advantageous.
Because of the usually directed fibers and due to the layered structure, fiber composite components have non-isotropic materials characteristics. In particular in the case of curved fiber composite components with two surface sections that are arranged at an angle to each other and a transition region situated between them, a strong coupling of flexural stress and tension in the direction of thickness can be detected. Loading the fiber composite component by a tensile force, transverse force or a moment results in the component being stretched in the transition region and additionally being bent against its direction of curvature. This results in so-called interlaminar unfolding stress with radial components of the flexural stress which because of the curvature no longer acts in a line. This unfolding stress may result in individual layers within the laminate of the fiber composite component becoming irreversibly detached from each other in the transition region.
In the state of the art, these phenomena are reduced by locally thickened regions and in particular by the application of additional local laminate layers. From the point of view of production engineering, this is too expensive, in particular in the case of smaller fiber composite components, so that in order to achieve the failure load that is required in terms of design, the entire profile would have to be thickened. In particular in the case of use within an aircraft, this results, however, in an undesirable increase in weight.
Other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.